How To Download PDF Files Directly From Google Chrome [2026 Guide]

I’m going to teach you how to download PDF files directly from Google Chrome. Knowing how to download PDFs can save you time and hassle. We’ll walk through the process step by step so you’re set up to download PDF files with ease.

If you also need to save pictures for offline use, check our guide on how to download images in Chrome.

Download PDF Files Directly From Google Chrome [2026 Guide]

Open settings

Open Google Chrome. Click the three vertically aligned dots in the top-right corner to open the menu. Click Settings to open a new tab with your configuration and customization options.

Privacy and security

On the left-hand side sidebar, click Privacy and security. This section keeps your browsing experience safe and controls how much and which information you share on the web.

If you’re fine-tuning site permissions, you might also want to allow notifications for a specific site in Chrome.

Site settings

Click Site settings. This area controls how websites interact with Chrome, setting permissions for everything from HTML5 to cookies.

Additional content

Scroll down and click Additional content settings. This reveals more controls related to your web browsing.

PDF documents

Click PDF documents. This opens your options for managing how PDFs are handled by Chrome.

Turn on downloading

Turn on the option labeled Download PDFs or Download PDF files instead of automatically opening them in Chrome. With this switch on, clicking a PDF link will download the file directly to your computer instead of opening it in the browser.

If you also want to grab games through your browser, see how to download games from the Chrome Web Store.

Final Thoughts

Once you enable the Download PDFs toggle under PDF documents, Chrome will save PDFs directly to your device. It’s a quick adjustment that gives you predictable control over PDF files. You’re all set to handle PDFs in a way that suits your workflow.